Description

About the Book

Public policy lies at the heart of gender equity, social justice, and institutional reform, yet closing the gap between formal commitments and real-world outcomes remains a persistent challenge. This YWLPPF Young Women Leaders in Public Policy Fellowship – Cohort 4.0 – Anthology, themed Women Leadership in a Globalised World, underscores the critical role of grounded, intersectional research in transforming policy discourse into actionable change. Convened by the IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute between January and March 2026, this volume brings together original scholarship from emerging women researchers examining the multifaceted barriers shaping women’s public, economic, and social lives.

Moving beyond rhetoric, the anthology interrogates the social, institutional, and economic structures that influence women across different life stages and global contexts. Through four detailed chapters, the fellows investigate generational shifts in Indian women’s workforce participation from Gen X to Gen Z, analyze design and implementation gaps in gender-transformative policies across South Asia and Africa, unpack structural digital market barriers confronting women-led micro-enterprises, and evaluate the intersection of care work, social protection, and demographic ageing through a feminist lens. Together, these contributions demonstrate that genuine empowerment demands institutional accountability, digital and financial inclusion, and policies rooted in women’s lived realities.

At its core, this volume emphasizes the need to equip emerging scholars, practitioners, activists, researchers, and policymakers with the critical perspectives and analytical tools required to engage with the evolving challenges of public policy through an inclusive, gender-just lens. By fostering reflective dialogue and interdisciplinary learning, the book contributes to ongoing efforts to cultivate women’s leadership and reimagine policy frameworks grounded in equity, human development, and collective resilience.